my sweetheart #6: carve our names in a heart on a tree

August 2088. Stephanie Nova and Justin Kim are 28. 

wedding song: “Ho Hey,” by The Lumineers

On the morning of Stephanie and Justin’s wedding, the skies were sodden and dreary. The driving rain blew in sideways and soaked the furniture under the covered gazebo. But nothing short of a lightning bolt to the wedding arch would stop this day from happening. They’ve been stalled and stopped too many times before. 

These two lovers knew well that the best-laid plans ended up sideways. So be it, then. Sideways, they would carry on as they always did.

Everyone is dressed and ready. The children are still neat and tidy in their sage and coral outfits. Nobody has yet fallen in a mud puddle or scraped a bare knee. That will certainly not last very much longer, but we hope it will last at least the length of the ceremony. 

Stephanie is lucky to come from a family full of creative talents. The wedding music is arranged by her brother, Patrick Nova, and his musical associates. Mainly his shining star daughter, Raine. And singing backup to this budding little starlet, Vicky, who is making waves of her own in the music industry right now. Except when Raine is around to steal the thunder.






Stephanie and Justin’s daughters, Willow and Lily, are the ring bearer and flower girl. 



And here comes the bride.

This is a special moment for Stephanie. It’s everything she ever dreamed of for her wedding day, wearing a beautiful white gown, being walked down the aisle by her father to meet her one true forever love.









Their vows are simple and sweet. Then, as Justin and Stephanie share their first marital kiss, a beam of sunlight hits the drapery and casts long shadows across the grounds. Look, the rain has stopped.

Lucky couple, your sim-god must have favor upon you!

( = MCCC > change weather because it was really truly forecast to be awful! Like, sims were gonna die in several different ways! Let’s give these two a break!)

Now we’ll take a little peek at some of our wedding guests. Here on the groom’s side are the kids with Justin’s mom, next to Keri and Bryson.



On the bride’s side, we have Stephanie’s mother and sister, Riley. And Riley’s teenage son, Shaun, who doesn’t see what the big deal is and why he had to travel so far for the wedding of an aunt he’s hardly ever talked to, and now that it’s over, can he play his game? And his father, Chad, is kind of like, “Yeah, what he said.”

(Sometimes I just grab a pose and stick them in it to keep them from wandering off. Even if he looks unenthused, it’s still better than the default game wedding reactions, lol!)



Friends of the couple, Lucy and Dallas. Lucy lives to attend weddings. It’s like her favorite thing—the romance, the decor, the food, the dancing! Lucky for her, she belongs to two big families now, full of young siblings and cousins, and we’re sure she’ll be invited to loads of weddings in the coming years.



And where did the baby run off to? He found some bugs, of course. Hopefully he doesn’t try to eat one. 

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Nova. 

(Yes, Justin will be bucking tradition and taking Stephanie’s last name. Just Nova, no hyphens. She is our LH legacy “heiress,” after all, and she represents one of the oldest and most populous families in this saga. The Nova name has been married out and passed down to many girls over the years. It felt too important when Stephanie took her name back and gave it to all of her children to give it away again a couple years later.) 

The grownups are doing pictures, and the food isn’t served yet, so the girls run off to the monkey bars in their lace gowns to kill some time. They both ended up with an injury. Those shoes aren’t meant for climbing.



Stephanie’s dad is also a photographer, so yay for free wedding photos! Steph comes from a very creative family, and everyone pitched in with their talents, as well as having her employer deeply discount this venue and the catering. These two aren’t as broke as they once were, but it helps them build a bigger nest egg. They need to upgrade to a bigger house soon!

(And no, that’s not a hint at an impending baby #4, but it’s written into their five-year plan. They’ve never planned one of their babies before! It might be fun to try!)



Onto the reception. It’s time to eat!




More bubbles for the newlyweds as they enter the reception barn. 




Justin and Stephanie are both silly and casual (hello childish trait!). For their wedding menu, their theme was backyard cookout. It makes Justin think of his dad, who isn’t here with them tonight, and late summer evenings with the family, having dinner off his father’s grill. While some couples might opt for something fancier, for these two, this is perfect.




On the other hand, here’s Keri, and her father, Bryson, looking like a million bucks. These folks are not casual or silly. (Probably why she and Justin didn’t work out.) But we still love them for their fierce ambition and high drama. Bryson isn’t one to turn down a good burger, but Keri will probably stick to the fruit salad, while quietly shaking her head at the idea of eating elote in a wedding dress with a paper napkin over her lap. 

Oh well—not her wedding dress, not her problem. 




The first dance of the night was with baby Benji. ❤️



Then, of course, because sims will be sims, the couple refused to dance on this meticulously lighted dance floor, and instead took themselves outside to share their first dance under the moonlight. Because the sky had cleared to a few wispy clouds, and the grass wasn’t too damp from all the rains, and they wanted it that way.

(Okay, whatever sims, lol! This is a gameplay wedding and I’m not gonna fight.)



And while mom and dad shared a romantic moonlight dance outside, the kids enjoyed the dance floor instead.



Willow and Lily had a great time with their older cousin, Raine. They think she’s so cool—she’s talented and popular and almost in middle school!

Raine, of course, laps up their adoration.



And while everyone gathers around for cake cutting, Cynthia takes a moment. It’s unfortunately one of those harsh moments when the flurry of activity wanes and Cynthia remembers that she’s a widow now. She really wishes Robert could have been here to share this special day. 😢



Cake cutting actually worked.

Maria thinks, proudly, “I made that cake.”



Yum.




Nobody is paying any attention to this baby, again. He’s knee-deep in the pond in the dark with the swans. 😵



The wedding turned out lovely and drama-free—for Justin and Stephanie, at least. Which is fine, because these two have had their fill of drama over the years. But the girls have headaches from their playground mishap earlier, and somebody better find Benji before he eats a bug or drowns in the pond. Time for grandma to take these kids home.

Justin and Steph are ready to start their honeymoon. They booked the honeymoon suite here at Coolidge House for tonight, and then they’re off to Sulani for a week.

Goodnight, sweethearts. 💕

“Love, we need it now

Let’s hope for some

‘Cause, oh, we’re bleedin’ out

I belong with you, you belong with me

You’re my sweetheart

I belong with you, you belong with me

You’re my sweet.”

— “Ho Hey” by the Lumineers

—

gameplay & story notes: 

Not much drama for these sweeties on their wedding day, and that’s totally fine with them. They've had their share. And hey, most of the wedding interactions worked okay as well.  

But wow, did I really drop the ball on their photo shoot? Only one pose, no family portraits, none with the kids. Yikes. I actually did this wedding back in March, so I wonder what the hell was going on back in March that I just couldn’t even?

Oh well, I got one nice pose in several sizes for their walls and to hand out to their parents. That’s fine, I guess. I mean, it’s not like I don’t have a million billion photos of Justin and Stephanie already!

I really should have done one with the kids, though. And now I’m sad because my game is ages past this day, and the seasons are changed, and all the decor is taken down, and I can't recreate it. And I will certainly regret my choice for all of eternity, lol! 

credit for photo & stock used for the wedding invitation: 

Free photo 83035473 © creativecommonsstockphotos - Dreamstime.com 

Image by bimbimkha on Freepik